


It May Bend but it WIll Not Break

by AproposOfInsomnia



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Police, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Torture, Yoo Kihyun-centric, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:22:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23569024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AproposOfInsomnia/pseuds/AproposOfInsomnia
Summary: While on a routine mission Hyunwoo and his men find two men who worm themselves into their lives remarkably quickly. That doesn't mean everything is going to go smoothly.
Relationships: Lee Jooheon/Yoo Kihyun, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Son Hyunwoo | Shownu/Yoo Kihyun
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	It May Bend but it WIll Not Break

Every hallway they went down seemed darker than the last. If it were any other situation Hyunwoo was sure that Minhyuk would have cracked a joke at the cliche, as it was the weight of guns in their hands and the protective equipment over their chests forced a sort of sobriety into the air and they continued in silence. A sense of disquiet followed them around every corner and he found himself glad for the echoing steps of his men behind him. He could almost make out the sound of who was who: Hoseok’s heavy stomp, Hyungwon’s odd glide, and Minhyuk’s inadvertent tiptoe. With the occasional deep rumble of Changkyun’s voice in his ear, carefully explaining where to go and when from his place back behind his computer he found himself hesitating just to soak up the comfort it all brought for a second. A hand pressed against his shoulder at the pause and he turned to see Hoseok’s eyes smiling in gentle support from behind his mask and they kept moving. 

This was their specialty, making their way through depressing labs and makeshift prisons before the police to pull those targeted for hiccups in their DNA out of the hells they had known and get them started on the road to recovery. This time though it felt different…more, in a way. It was clear he wasn't the only one who could feel it. Minhyuk was standing almost arm to arm with Hyungwon as Hoseok shifted his weight from one foot to the other and back again. Even Changkyun was suspiciously quiet where he would usually be excitedly spouting off some dumb comment or cracking a terrible joke in any silence he could find. 

“The map says that’s it,” speak of the devil. 

Odd. They hadn’t come across anything particularly significant yet; only a few upturned chairs and some papers tossed about. He turned to find Minhyuk squinting at something on the far wall. Following his gaze, he found himself staring as well. There was an uneven crack, nothing out of the ordinary if it weren’t for the fact the rest of the building had been walled in tile, not drywall. He moved toward it with caution, his hands readjusting their grip on his gun, trusting the others to watch his back. 

He reached out and prodded at the crack clumsily, half poking and half pulling, until he reached the top where it seemed to sharpen into a corner. Frowning, he was sure that it was another secret door, far from the first they’d seen and always a pain to figure out. Turning to see if anyone else had come to the conclusion he found Hyungwon glaring in focus at something by his hip, a confused tilt to his head. There seemed to be a faint gray smudge and he squatted to get a better look. It seemed to be the faintest outline of a fingerprint. He lay his hand against the mark and pressed lightly. A click sounded through the room like a gunshot in the silence. 

“Well that was stupid.”

“Not now, Changkyun,” Hoseok’s voice was scolding, but calm as he tried to assess the situation. 

Hyunwoo closed his eyes and sighed as he let his chin drop against his chest, wondering what had gotten into him for such an impulsive decision. He kept his hand still as the frantic clacking of typing flowing through his earpiece. It went on for a bit before a deep sigh broken by a low curse took its place. 

“Well to make a long story short, you’re either fine and it’s a door or it’s not and you’re fucked,” though Changkyun’s words were crass, he could hear the underlying worry. 

“I could have told him that,” Minhyuk’s voice shook slightly as he responded. 

Hyunwoo weighed his options for a moment before shrugging on a confidence he didn’t really feel and pulling his arm away. 

Nobody moved, their breaths held and their bodies tense. The only sound was the gentle creaking of the newfound door swinging open. A half desperate laugh broke out of his throat before he could stop it. He shot the other three a quick smile over his shoulder before standing, grabbing his gun, and taking a step through the doorway. 

The hallway it lead them down was barely lit, with only a few flickering bulbs here and there. The flood of flashlights revealed steep stairs and walls that shifted from wooden to earthen. The air turned wet and heavy the deeper they went and a part of him screamed to turn back. Just as he was considering doing so, they reached another door; a hulking thing, with no windows or markings at all. 

A sudden wave of calm washed over him as he realized what would most likely be in the room beyond. This was exactly what he was trained to do. Finding hurt and broken people and giving them the help they deserve was what he lived for. He nodded at Hoseok, who had already moved to the door, his hand on the large lever, waiting for his order. He gave it with a nod and waved for them to follow him. 

The room was smaller than he thought it would be, only a few feet squared, with a form hunched in the corner. It appeared to be larger than the average person and he put up a hand to warn those behind him. Slowly he scanned the room, finding only rocky walls and a muddy floor. It broke his heart to think of someone stuck and helpless down there. Finally, after finding no other evidence of anyone else he let his light land on the mass and cursed as it revealed not one person but two. 

They sat as close to each other as they could, with their arms tucked between their bodies, the shine of handcuffs subtle in their position, their heads tilted close. He found their eyes, wide and frightened but still glittering with a kind of fervor, and tried to smile before a glint of something else caught his attention. A gasp broke through the air as Hoseok behind him seemed to notice the same thing. The man closer to the wall had something like a horse’s bit shoved into his mouth, warping what looked to be chubby cheeks into a painful looking parody of a smile. It was bad, but nothing compared to the other’s. The lower half of his face was covered by a mask, running just under his nose to beneath his chin, its metallic shine countered by the harsh red of aggravated flesh, swollen and glistening over its edges. His eyes were fixed in a glare that would have been frightening if it weren't for the pitiful state of the rest of his face as he shifted himself to sit completely in front of the other. 

He turned back to Hoseok and passed him the gun, letting him be the light bearer as he lowered his mask too show his face. Vaguely, he could hear Minhyuk keeping Changkyun up to speed somewhere in the background, but for now he was focused entirely on the people in front of him. He sank to his knees before them, his palms up to show his peaceful intentions. As he met the ground the light flickered and shut off before coming back on. A whimper sounded at the sudden darkness and he found himself leveling a disapproving look at Hoseok who muttered something about feeling bad pointing weapons at helpless people. Turning back, he saw the chubby cheeked boy hiding his face in his cellmate’s shoulder who lifted his hands, heavily shackled and rubbed raw, to pet softly at his hair, maintaining his glare the entire time. 

“Hello. I’m Hyunwoo, this is Hoseok, and there’s Hyungwon and Minhyuk just outside,” he kept his voice low and calm with what he hoped was a comforting smile on his face. “We’re here to help you. We promise.” 

The hostages turned to look at each other for a while, seeming to have an entire conversation with just their eyes before turning back and nodding slightly. Hesitantly the masked man’s hands rose again to point at Hyungwon and began to wave him closer, despite his back being turned. 

“Hyungwon?” The man in question turned at the sound of his name and they nodded seriously. “Okay. Hyungwon, come over here. Carefully.” 

He walked in slowly, pulling his mask down to reveal a kind, but confused smile on his face. They waved him closer before the man in the bit turned to show the back of his head, pulling at what he could reach of the straps. The other continued with his protective glare, eyes flicking between each person, making deliberate eye contact with each one. Hyungwon looked at Hyunwoo with no small amount of worry before turning back and carefully undoing the buckle at his nod. 

The gag fell to the floor with a quiet ding and the man turned back with a nervous, dimpled smile. 

“I’m Jooheon, that’s Kihyun,” the masked man nodded once in greeting. “Please help us.” 

Jooheon’s voice was oddly clear. If it weren’t for the red marks around his lips it would seem as though he were never gagged at all. 

They agreed to remain handcuffed without anything more than a shrug and began the difficult journey from their little dungeon. Kihyun was clearly weakened by whatever it was that had happened to him and wildly distrustful. He leaned against Jooheon as they went, clearly trying to seem unaffected despite the obvious pain he was in, his breath harsh and loud as he was forced to puff through his nose. The stairs were particularly bad, they had to pause after almost every step as he caught his breath and tried to force his body to keep moving. Despite that he refused to let anyone else help him. 

Eventually they split up at the car with both of the freed captives settled into the back seat and Hyunwoo driving, everyone else staying behind to wait for the police. As Hyunwoo slid behind the wheel he watched as Kihyun sagged bodily against Jooheon with exhausted eyes. He fell asleep about halfway through the ride, holding out for much longer than Hyunwoo thought he would. 

“Why aren’t you asking any questions?” 

Hyunwoo blinked at the non-sequitur. 

“What?”

“We thought for sure we’d be grilled at this point,” Jooheon's voice was soft, nervous, and confused in a way that brought out every protective instinct in Hyunwoo’s body. 

“Don’t worry about that right now. I’m more worried about you and your friend so I’m taking you both to the hospital, depending on how things go there we can talk then. Sound good?” 

With a glance through the mirror he watched as Jooheon nodded before carefully leaning his head against Kihyun’s and looking out the window in tired wonder.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if you find any mistakes or if you have any ideas on how you want this story to go. Hell, let me know if you want anything written at all I am so bored and have no braincells to use to come up with ideas.


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